I read the Tweet because I follow @ShiwaniNeupane and she always has interesting perspective. I have not read her novel, Crossing Shadows, but the reviews were excellent.

Another of her followers, a videshi from UK, Tweeted:

Something really needs to be done about Nepal’s blood banks. Seeing increasing numbers of social media shout-outs for emergency donations.

I’m not sharing the name of the videshi. It’s not about that person. They imply that something is wrong when the opposite is true. They don’t know any better. But I realized that something amazing is actually happening in Nepal which, to my mind, shows the kind of love and community that is possible in Nepal.

The best of Nepal.

First Nepali-language video:

@YouthForBlood

Here is an English-language video from The Netherlands that describes what happens when you donate. How the blood is processed, etc

Here is the amazing part

There now is a network in Nepal named Youth for Blood and they use social media to publicize the need for blood and it seems to be nationwide. Click here for their website. http://youthforblood.org/

In Nepali-bhasa:

This only has 693 views as of today. I think we all need to publicize this organization and the work they do. Please share it as widely as you possibly can.

Oh and by the way here is some science

We need more donors but that is not the only problem. My first inclination when I read this was to focus on the AB blood type of the pregnant lady in the original tweet. We need to get donors with specific blood types.Specifically, AB+ and AB-

This study was undertaken to find out the trend of blood group distribution (ABO and Rh) among the 1310 Nepalese attended in Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Nepal Medical College Teaching Hospital Kathmandu. The frequency of distribution of A, B, AB and O was 28.5%, 27.3%, 8.7% and 35.5% respectively. Only 0.8% of them were found to be Rh (-) ve. In this population of study, O (+) ve blood group was found to be predominant among the Brahmins, Magars and Gurungs. A (+) ve blood group was predominant among the Chhetris, and B (+) ve among the Sherpas and the Lamas. (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17357642 )

Get your blood tested.

Here is a chart showing distribution of blood types in various countries:

How to read the graph above?

Very simple. If you are walking down the street in Kathmandu, one out of every three people you pass will have type A, and another one of three will have type O. Only one out of twenty will have type AB. To find a donor for that person you may have to test nineteen more people before you find the one person who matches. That’s why most of the public appeals are for type AB.

The above graph did not include China. I have read reports that in China, 95% of people are type O. To find a matching donor is relatively simple in China.

If you have AB+ or AB- blood, get registered with Youth For Blood Nepal.

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The Sacrament of the Goddess

The Sacrament of the Goddess is the title of my novel that takes place in a hospital in Nepal. You can find out where to get a copy if you browse this very blog you are reading. Part of the plot involves blood transfusion – the way that blood is transfused (or not) in Nepal. Like many nurses and doctors, not just in Nepal but from USA, I have seen the lifesaving effect of blood transfusion but also personally watched people die for lack of blood. I hate the helpless feeling when no blood is available. Frankly, I found myself getting teary-eyed to learn about Youth For Blood and their mission.